3-Step Guide to Overcoming Fear
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FEARLESS?
By: Peter Scott IV
How many times do we find ourselves frozen by fear?
Our hearts palpitate, our breathing becomes shallow and fast, and soon we’re paralyzed by trepidation. At moments when we need to lunge forward, our feet plant as though in cement.
Everyone experiences fear sometimes — it’s part of being human. But no matter how overwhelmed and paralyzed your fear is making you feel, you can break through to fearlessness.
So what does it mean to be fearless?
Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. Rather, it’s the mastery of fear.
Fearlessness is about getting up one more time than we fall down. The more comfortable we are with the possibility of falling down, the more fearless we will be, and the easier our journey will become.
“Fear is just a call to exercise courage”
Without fear, we can’t have courage. We cannot act courageous in any situation unless we have something to protect, something to honor, something to prove, or something to commit to. Fear is a call to action and that action should be courageous.
“Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the willingness to act in spite of your fear.”
But what do you do when you’re really afraid, and how do you overcome the fears that are holding you back?
When I’m afraid, I’ve conditioned myself to walk right into my fears rather than away from them.
If you can get used to that, your fear will dissipate. Most of the power of fear is in your mind; it doesn’t really exist. It’s just this idea that looms because you’re unwilling to face it.
I have as much fear as anyone of you. In fact, this feels embarrassing admitting as a Fearless Coach, but I’m going to be brutally honest with you…
Skydiving has been a life long fear of mine.
I’ve had skydiving on my bucket list for the last 10 years of my life. Fortunately, one of my “Fearless” friends wouldn’t let me back out of his invitation to overcome this fear. So after years of procrastination, I finally had the courage to throw myself out of a plane at 13,000 feet.
As the parachute opened and I gently glided towards the ground, I had a breakthrough that all human beings must heed:
There is no parachute in real life.
The moment you’re born, you’ve already jumped out of a plane, and are plummeting towards your death without a parachute. Let me say this clearly…
You will die someday and are in the process of dying right now…it’s inevitable.
Every decade, every year, every month, every week, every day that passes is one step closer to your death. I’m not saying this to be morbid; I’m saying this to remind you that this life isn’t a dress rehearsal. You can’t “play it safe” in hopes of having another chance.
This is it. This moment is all you are guaranteed right now. So are you making the best of it or are you letting your fears hold you back?
Source: https://peterscottiv.pressbooks.com/chapter/what-does-it-mean-to-be-fearless/
